We are in the midst of a digital photography revolution, where everyday more and more users are embracing digital cameras instead of the traditional film-based camera. There are many reasons why users have made the switch from traditional cameras to digital cameras. One reason is that digital cameras provide features that are unavailable with traditional cameras. Some benefits of digital cameras over traditional cameras include 1) instant gratification, 2) ease of sharing the pictures, and 3) PC-based digital darkroom capabilities.
First, a user receives instant feedback from a digital camera. For example, a user can view the pictures the moment that he/she shoots them. The user can then select the best pictures and delete the unwanted pictures without wasting money on developing film and printing photos that are of little or no value to the photographer.
Another benefit of digital cameras is that they facilitate the creation and sharing of digital memories. Since the digital photographs are already in electronic form, a user can readily share the pictures with others. For example, a user can electronically mail the pictures to friends and family or post the pictures to a web site so that others can view them. As electronic mail (e-mail) and the Internet have allowed people to share information with anyone in the world, digital photography enables people to make an instant visual connection.
For example, vacation memories may be shared with friends and family by creating a web site dedicated to the vacation. Photos of the new baby can be electronically mailed to friends and family. Digital pictures also provide the opportunity to have “instant” pictures of special occasions. For example, in an anniversary party for one's parents, one can take pictures of the event and then immediately print photos to send to guests the day after. Alternatively, one can even print the photos before the guests leave the special occasion.
Digital technology gives the user the opportunity to be a darkroom developer without the darkness and chemicals required by traditional film. A personal computer (PC) and a digital-imaging program provide a PC-based digital darkroom that enables a user to be a darkroom developer. Digital pictures are especially amenable to modification and manipulation in a digital darkroom.
The magic begins once a digital picture is loaded into a user's computer. A user can easily crop the photos to focus in on a subject. A user can also make flaws (e.g., eyes that appear to be red) in the picture magically disappear or remove a distracting object from the background. Furthermore, a user can cut and paste portions of a first picture into a second picture to create special effects. Once the user has the picture the way that the user wants, the user simply prints the picture.
As the popularity of digital cameras grows, manufacturers of digital cameras are constantly striving to improve the camera design and user interface design and to add features that are offered by the camera. Mechanisms and features that makes the camera easier to use or that provides features that are useful to the photographer are in demand.
An important design consideration in digital cameras is how to allow users to view and share the pictures before the pictures are downloaded to a personal computer (PC). For example, when pictures are stored in the cameras, many digital still cameras (DSCs) provide a display that is mounted to the back of the cameras for viewing the captured images. Unfortunately, these displays are small and often have limited viewing angles. Consequently, the user must hand the camera to each person who wishes to view the image. In this regard, it is difficult to discuss certain aspects of an image since all parties cannot view the image simultaneously. Also, the process of passing the camera around a room of people is cumbersome and inefficient.
In order to solve this problem, many current digital still cameras have an audio/video (A/V) output connector that is designed to connect to a television (TV) through a cable. The cable allows a user to review pictures on the TV screen, which is much larger than the small display on the camera. The use of a TV screen is certainly more convenient than having to pass the camera around the room for picture viewing purposes.
One disadvantage of this approach is that it requires the user to remain tethered to the TV through the A/V cable in order to access user interface functions through manipulation of the switches and buttons on the camera. Typical user interface functions include scrolling through still or video images, deleting unwanted pictures, zooming in and zooming out of a particular region of interest in the picture.
Difficulty of accessing the A/V connectors of the TV is another disadvantage of this approach. Before a viewing session, a user must connect the A/V cable to the A/V connectors of the TV, which are often in a hard-to-access location in the back of the TV. Access is required both before and after the viewing session to connect and disconnect the A/V cable, respectively. As can be appreciated, this requirement places an annoying burden on the user.
Another problem is the need for long A/V cables to enable a user who is controlling the camera functions to be far enough away from the TV to have an adequate view of the TV. These long cables are an added cost to the user and may also pose a safety hazard (e.g., a trip hazard).
Some manufacturers of digital cameras have designed remote controls that are specifically designed for controlling their cameras. Although the remote control solves the problems inherent in using an A/V cable, the provision of a dedicated remote control increases the costs of the camera package. Furthermore, there is a burden on the user to learn the specific commands of a new and unfamiliar remote control. Also, since it is common to have multiple remote controls for controlling different electronic equipment near the TV, the addition of yet another remote control does not simplify the clutter of remote controls near the TV.
Consequently, it would be desirable for there to be a mechanism to train a digital camera to respond to commands of an existing remote control that is foreign to the camera and associated with another device.
Based on the foregoing, there remains a need for a proxy-based remote control method and system for a digital camera that overcomes the disadvantages set forth previously.